Improvement of the Antioxidant Properties and Postharvest Life of Three Exotic Andean Fruits by UV-C Treatment

Three Andean fruits naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam.), uvilla (Physalis peruviana L.), and mortino (Vaccinium floribundum Kunth) were subjected to prestorage UV-C treatments (0, 8, or 12.5 kJ m(-2)) and evaluated weekly to select the most suitable dose for fruit qualitymaintenance during storage (21 days at 6 degrees C). The highest dose retains quality through lower deterioration index for all three fruits and was selected to further analyze the effects on physicochemical and antioxidant properties during storage. UVC exposure delayed softening in naranjilla and increased soluble solid content in uvilla. UV-C also improved the maintenance of antioxidant capacity (AC) in mortino and uvilla. Overall, results indicate that short prestorage UV-C exposure may be an effective nonchemical approach to supplement low temperature storage, maintain quality, and extend the postharvest life of Andean naranjilla, uvilla, and mortino fruit.